`Placebo RE:CREATED`, is a new reworking of the band`s self-titled debut album thirty years on. A kind of director`s cut according to the band, it’s about completing it as at the time of recording the band didn’t yet have the experience or the studio knowledge to fully translate what was in their heads. The new record features reworked and embellished versions of all ten tracks from the original album plus two bonus tracks from the original release, capturing the way these songs have evolved across decades of performance while retaining the raw spirit that defined them.
`Come Home` leads us in and there`s a real urgency about it, a tangible sense of anguish and anxiety with the chorus line of “come home” expressed almost as a petition or plea. A song that singer Brian Molko said was “pop punk for postponed suicides.” A real marker to lay down for what`s to follow. There`s a real nervousness about `Teenage Angst` which is about the emotions you feel as a teenager and want to have everything kept to yourself and create your own world. For me, it glides from apprehension to reflection throughout its short lifespan.
`Bionic` I read is about a robot fuck which may refer to a sexual encounter with an artificially intelligent humanoid machine. It`s a rolling rhythmic offering with some delightfully enticing, breathless and almost benignvocals. There are various suggestions as to the meaning of `36 Degrees` such as it relates to sexual preferences or it is to do with dying and has caused much debate amongst fans. Nevertheless, it`s a compelling all out guitar led assault on the senses. Although there`s a short sober time out mid-way before it resumes its prior path.
`Hang On To Your IQ` is about self-deprecation regarding intelligence and is a much slower burn and superbly thoughtful and contemplative. I have to say I loved the chimed percussion and heavy bass which seem to be more prominent in this reworking. No doubt `Nancy Boy` is probably the most recognisable number from this release. It contains themes of drugs, sex, gender confusion, and bisexuality. A shimmering slice of defiance against the norm. Watching people sing the chorus of “And it all breaks down at the role reversal, Got the muse in my head, she’s universal, Spinning me ’round, she’s coming over me, me” live is joyous.
There`s a breathtaking vulnerability to `I Know`, a song that I have grown to greatly appreciate as i`ve aged. Frontman Brian Molko has described the track as one of the best he has ever written. Lyrically, the song is deeply personal, inspired by a desperate phone call he made from a New York payphone during a period of deep depression and a painful breakup. There`s a driving intensity to `Bruise Pristine` which deals with the toxic, destructive nature of highly codependent relationships, struggling with one’s identity, and the struggle to maintain innocence in a harsh world. Again the chimed percussion was more prominent in the last third of the number than I ever remember.
`Lady of the Flowers` is influenced by Jean Genet`s debut novel `Our Lady of the Flowers` which Genet wrote for his own entertainment whilst in prison. The novel is a poetic, dreamlike exploration of the Parisian criminal underworld. This atmospheric and fairly surreal song moves between sung and spoken word and explores themes of fluid sexuality, androgyny, and unrequited love. The final track `Swallow` was inspired by an acid trip singer Molko and bassist / guitarist Olsdal had, saying it was never written in a state of reality. It`s a strange almost psychedelic trippy composition.
The bonus tracks are `Drowning By Numbers` and `H.K. Farewell`. The former deals with the reality of acceptance and persecution and was released as a B-side to Placebo’s debut single, `Come Home`. It`s quite stop-start with bass, guitar and drums all vying for attention with vocals that are almost shouted at times. The latter was B-side to `Teenage Angst` and on initial pressings of the debut album, a hidden track which began playing approximately ten minutes after the end of `Swallow`. `H.K.Farewell (Hong Kong Farewell)` is piano led and a tender instrumental. A gentle submission to draw this offering to a calm and peaceful close.
I remember seeing Placebo a few months before this release of this album in a packed venue in a leafy suburb of Birmingham and apart from the shock of the staggering strength and depth of the music it was also the androgyny that the band portrayed in an era which was full of toxic masculinity. Songs that addressed sexuality, addiction, and alienation where almost unheard of so the band were almost pioneers in a sense.
I haven`t played Placebo`s debut for an age and have to say it`s an album that has really held up over time.
Later this year Placebo will embark on an extensive UK and European arena tour to celebrate this significant anniversary and will be performing songs from their first two albums, `Placebo` and `Without You I’m Nothing`. I suggest you purchase tickets early!!
Rating 9.5/10
